House of Parliament emails *are* routed through a foreign country

Two days ago, TechEye reported that emails sent from the Mother of all Parliaments were re-routed abroad before lobbing back inside Westminster. After some investigations, we now know the name of the country. It is The Netherlands, where the Dutch live.

Gordon Henderson, the MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, asked the Home Secretary Theresa May whether this was a fact.

She replied that it was a matter not for the Home Office – she is the minister in charge of the Ministry of the Interior – but for the Speaker of the House of Commons.

TechEye asked Mr Henderson whether he had been able to find out more about the email anomaly.

In an email to TechEye, which presumably was routed through a foreign country, he replied: “The country through which the emails are routed is the Netherlands. I have written to Theresa May for clarification about the National Security aspects, as unlikely as any threat might be. In addition I have tabled an oral question that I hope will be answered by the House of Commons Commission in January.”

We wonder why Parliamentary emails are routed to the Dutch before lobbing back into the Houses of Parliaments.

But perhaps those answers will come when we discover who provides the service. And when the tender comes up for renewal.